Diffuse (non-point source) pollution is increasingly being recognised as a major source of water quality problems in both surface and ground water. Indeed, as pollution resulting from point sources is reduced by the efforts of regulators, diffuse sources frequently remain as the dominant source of pollution. The book is an introductory text covering the nature, causes and the significance of diffuse pollution of both urban and rural origin. Best management practices to tackle the problems are examined as are the ways in which the adoption of such practices may be brought about. Use is made of case studies from several countries to examine the strengths and weaknesses of various approaches. Diffuse Pollution covers both urban and rural sources. Urban sources include run-off from impermeable surfaces of roads, industrial areas and housing which may be contaminated by hydrocarbons, heavy metals, organic chemicals and other undesirable substances. Rural sources include water containing pollutants arising from agriculture and forestry such as plant nutrients, pesticides, microbes and soil itself. This concise book will prove useful to practitioners in the field of pollution control both in an urban and a rural environment, to regulators, to researchers new to the field, and to academics and students. An extensive reference section aids the reader in exploring the subject further. Contents Diffuse pollution A Best Practice Approach An Introduction to BMPs for built environments Managing diffuse pollution from urban sources - a survey of best practice experience Rural BMPs Rural best practice experience Regulation, Economic instruments, and Education for controlling diffuse pollution Sustainability Full Contents List (439KB)

Forests at the wildland-urban interface are at increasing risk due to the impacts of urbanization. Conserving and managing these forestlands for continued ecological and social benefits is a critical and complex challenge facing natural resource managers, land-use planners, and policymakers. Forests at the Wildland-Urban Interface: Conservat

A 360-degree view of the response to flood risk As major flooding events around the world show, the impact of flooding on the built environment can cause widespread chaos. These flood events form part of a wider pattern of increasing flood frequency coupled with increased vulnerability of the built environment to flood hazard. Flood risk can unite or divide communities and the responses to potential risk can range from denial to perfect adaptation. Drawing on the experience of communities and experts, Flood Hazards: Impacts and Responses for the Built Environment offers guidance on managing urban flooding and flood risk. It brings together a diversity of viewpoints and experiences on flood impacts and responses from leading academics, flood restoration specialists, emergency responders, architects, planning consultants, insurers, policymakers, and community representatives. By including the perspective of the community and the views of households and businesses at risk, this volume makes a unique contribution to the literature on flood management. The chapter organization loosely corresponds to the phases of the disaster management cycle, covering emergency preparation and response; recovery, repair, and reconstruction; and mitigation and adaptation. Contributors examine the types of impacts and discuss forecasting and emergency warning. They describe processes and good practice in recovery of flood-damaged property from the perspectives of the insurance industry, restorers, and loss adjusters. The book also deals with business continuity, land-use planning, property-level and infrastructure protection, and urban drainage, looking at the regulation and design of the built environment as one way to reduce risk. A section on community response to flooding sheds light on the experiences of flood-affected families. Written for students, practitioners, and researchers in flood risk management, as well as for professionals who may encounter flood-related issues in the course of their work, this cross-disciplinary book makes a valuable contribution towards designing a future built environment that is more resilient to flood risk.

Protecting Water Resources with Smart Growth is intended for audiences such as communities, local governments, state and regional planners already familiar with smart growth and are now seeking more ideas on how to protect their water resources. The document is a compilation of 75 policies designed to protect water resources and implement smart growth. The majority of these policies (46) are oriented to the watershed, or regional level; the other 29 are targeted for specific development sites.

Over the past 20 years, the use of Best Management Practices (BMPs) in the United States has been instrumental in reducing both the detrimental impacts to receiving water quality and the exacerbated flooding caused by urbanization and storm water drainage. More recently, Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems (SUDS) have started to be used in the United Kingdom. Both SUDS and BMPs attempt to mimic the drainage patterns of the natural watershed, and can also provide a degree of treatment needed to improve the quality of the water discharged to an acceptable level. The costs of conventional stormwater collection systems are determined primarily in terms of initial capital expenditure. Long-term maintenance costs are absorbed by stormwater authorities that are responsible for maintaining their infrastructure as part of their "asset base". Currently, only a few of these responsibilities exist for BMPs and SUDS, which generally incorporate surface components and are often dependent on landscaping rather than on traditional construction techniques, but may require significant regular maintenance. Any potential adopting organization will require guidance on the maintenance regimes of different types of systems and how such regimes translate into long-term adoption costs. The project is being conducted in two phases. Phase 1, which is the subject of this report, includes a literature review and a survey of stormwater authorities and organizations in the US and UK to identify the most commonly used BMPs and SUDS and to determine the availability of data on their cost and performance. As part of Phase 2, the operation of selected BMPs and SUDS will be monitored over a one-year period in terms of pollutant removal and hydrologic/hydraulic efficiency, and applicability of their design criteria and maintenance regime. The protocols developed in Phase 1 will be used to assess BMPs/SUDS performance and whole-life costs.